Trial for alleged trooper shooter is continued to 2025
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, November 21st, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The trial for Brandon Dennis O’Neel, 39, of Walla Walla, the man accused of shooting a Washington State Patrol Trooper Dean Atkinson Jr. in September 2022, has been continued to next year.
O’Neel, who has been in jail since his arrest, has signed a speedy trial waiver.
Walla Walla County Prosecuting Attorney Gabe Acosta said the trial in Walla Walla County Superior Court got continued to Jan. 27, 2025, because the court is awaiting an evaluation report from Eastern State Hospital.
O’Neel is charged with first-degree attempted premeditated murder, first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, attempting to elude police, threatening to bomb with intent to alarm and harassment with threats to kill.
